Do you use the red button on your satellite TV?

We are often invited to press the satellite TV red button to gain access to a wonderland of interactive services, but have you tried these services?

It seems that over 9 million (19 percent) of us are avoiding pressing the red button on our satellite TV service for fear of incurring large costs, moneysupermarket.com has found.

20 million adults (45%) have apparently never even tried using interactive digital TV, and I must admit that I am one of them.

Actually I did try using the BBC interactive services once, as apparently I could see different news items on their News 24 channel, but after a few minutes, I really couldn’t see the point and that was that.

I know that I can get involved with all sorts of programmes via Sky interactive by pressing the red button, but I don’t know if I’m going to be charged for them. I guess I’m amongst the 9 million others who feel the same trepidation.

By the way, Sky are still offering their £50 M&S voucher deal when you sign up for Sky and HD services with movies deal before December 19th.

Are the Sky games free? What about the PlayJam games? I guess that cash is involved with playing Sky Bet or Sky Poker, however I also notice that there is access to NHS interactive too, which sounds useful.

So there seems to be a lot to explore once we take the plunge and do press that red button, particularly now that the UK has almost completely switched over to digital TV.

James Parker at moneysupermarket.com seems to agree as he says that “Most people still associate the red button on their remote with the traditional teletext.”

“But since the boom in digital TV take-up, the red button has opened up a whole new world for viewers. It is a shame that almost a third of users don’t understand what going interactive is, and as a result they are missing out on some great services.”

The digital TV providers are probably to blame for not educating us about what services are free and which ones incur costs. I’ll try the red button again – just to see what happens.

About The Author

Chris

I have been writing articles about personal finance since we started MoneyHighStreet.com in 2006. In that time, I have been fortunate to have had a regular broadcasting spot on BBC Radio Essex and have also appeared on BBC Rip Off Britain and ITN.
With a family comprising two teenagers, a wife and a bouncy black labrador, getting the finances right is clearly important. It's a privilege to share our tips and experiences to help you manage your money just that bit better.